An Orchid Alphabet

I am writing this post in the depths of Canberra winter, thinking longingly of the coming spring. And when I think of spring I also inevitably think of orchids. In anticipation of that I've put together an alphabet of orchids from four continents, just as a celebration of these wonderful plants, with which I am besotted. (If you enjoy it, you might also enjoy some previous alphabets that I've put together; on yellow flowers, red flowers, white flowers, acacias, and eucalypts.)

My general guidelines are to try to offer an Australian and an overseas orchid for each letter, using a genus name if possible, but using a species name if I can't manage a relevant genus. I'm not going to get hung-up on taxonomy here (it is a celebration after all), and inevitably some of the names I'm using are not now universally accepted, but all are published and at least have been and usually still are widely used. In a couple of cases I simply can't narrow it down to just one Australian or overseas offering per letter, but if you're interested in orchids I can't imagine that will be too hard to take. Finally I've failed on a few predictable letters - K, Q and W-Z.

So thanks for joining me, and let's go tiptoeing through an orchidaceous alphabet!

A

Large Mosquito Orchid Acianthus fornicatus, Callala, New South Wales south coast.
The mosquito orchids (named for their pointy flowers, which is also the meaning of Acianthus) are a group
of mostly autumn-winter flowering colonial orchids of damp places

Bamboo Orchid Arundina graminifolia, Crocker Range, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
A big and dramatic orchid found from India to New Guinea

 B

 

Tiny Strand Orchid Bulbophyllum (this species sometimes separated as Adelopetalum) exiguum, near Nowra,
south coast New South Wales. This is the largest orchid genus, with over 2000 species across the tropics.
This species has tiny delicate flowers less than 10mm across growing on rocks and tree trunks in rainforest.

 C

Two of my favourite Australian orchid genera start with C, and I can't omit either.

Purple Beard Orchid Calochilus platychilus, Gungahlin Hill Nature Reserve, Canberra.
An orchid genus dear to my heart (though my own beard has faded with the years). One of the many
ground orchids which attract pollinators by deceptively mimicking (in looks and scent)
a female insect.

Flying Duck Orchid Caleana major, Bundanoon, southern New South Wales.
What else could you call it?! The flower is 'upside down' and the labellum at the top snaps down
when an insect alights, trapping it inside for a while until it has been forced into contact with the
reproductive organs. The genus name is for George Caley, an early 19th century collector
around Sydney, socially difficult but very good in the field, employed by Sir Joseph Banks.

 And I have the same problem with the overseas Cs - two beauties and I can't ignore either of them.

Porcelain Orchid Chloraea magellanica, Torres del Paine NP, Chilean Patagonia.
Aside from its inherent beauty, this robust orchid fascinates me for its ability to survive
far to the freezing windy south of South America.

Coelogyne sp. near Serian, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.
One of some 200 species of this magnificent genus, across southern Asia; Borneo is a hotspot.

 D

Diuris, the donkey orchids or doubletails (both reflecting the flower's form, supposedly like a donkey's face - well I can see it! - though 'doubletail' also translates Diuris) are common and familiar orchids across southern Australia. In a good season open forest floors are carpeted with yellow flowers. They are the first orchids I remember being made aware of, on family excursions to the Adelaide hills.

Common Donkey Orchid Diuris corymbosa, Wireless Hill, Perth.
Probably, as its name claims, the commonest donkey orchid in Western Australia.

However not quite all these donkeys are yellow, and I really had to introduce you to one of the truly lovely purple ones (about 12 of the 65 donkey species).

Purple Donkey Orchid Diuris punctata, Tallong, New South Wales Southern Highlands.

Disa spp., Bamenda Highlands, western Cameroon.
This is a large genus - more than 160 species - essentially restricted to Africa.
As usual, any further identification help gladly received.

 E

The Purple Enamel Orchid Elythranthera brunonis, Two People's Bay NP, is a startlingly glossy orchid from the south-west
of Western Australia, one of only two members of the genus. The species name means 'brown', which
is pretty perplexing until you know that it's in honour of the great Scottish botanist Robert Brown.
(Attempts to subsume this genus into the huge genus Caladenia haven't received much traction in Australia.)

Epidendrum syringothyrsus, Inca Track near Machu Picchu, Peru.
This beauty is restricted to rock outcrops in cloud forest in the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia.
There are more than 1500 Epidendrums through the tropics and subtropics of the Americas.

 F

And  here's another Epidendrum whose species name starts with F, because I have no photos of any orchid genera starting with F! (In fact there seem to be only two tiny Australian 'F' genera, from the Queensland tropics.)

Fringed Epidendrum Epidendrum funkii, also on the Inca Track.
(Also known as E. blepharistes, but that wouldn't do for my purposes here!)

 G

Waxlip Orchid Glossodia major (and bonus jumping spider, Salticidae), Black Mountain NR, Canberra.
This is yet another that some would subsume into Caladenia, but Glossodia (which contains just two species)
is still widely used. This one, common and in a good season abundant in colonies, is sometimes known
as the Parson in the Pulpit for the erect column over the white base to the labellum.

Orchidea amarilla ('yellow orchid') or Varita do oro ('golden wand') Gavilea lutea,
Torres del Paine NP, Chilean Patagonia. A common robust orchid of cold grasslands
as far south as Tierra del Fuego.

 H

Midget Greenhood Hymenochilus (Pterostylis) muticus, Nangar NP near Canowindra, New South Wales.
This group of very small-flowered greenhoods (the flowers of this species are less than 10mm long) was
split off as a separate genus for some time, though most recent sources would reinstate the huge and varied
genus Pterostylis.

In acknowledgement of that, I'll also offer another Australian 'h-orchid', this one based on the species name.

Purple-heart Fingers Caladenia (sometimes Petalochilus) hillmanii, Myora, south coast New South Wales.
The name commemorates George Hillman of Port Stephens, who brought it to the attention of orchid
guru (and somewhat maverick) David Jones in the 1990s.

Habenaria sp., Wayquecha Research Station, high southern Peruvian Andes.
(At least that is what I was told at the time, though now I have some doubts.)
Habenaria is a genus of over 600 species found throughout the tropics.

 I

This letter caused me some angst too; I have a photo of the lovely Ida locusta from Peru but the poor thing is so nibbled and shrivelled that it would be embarrassed to be shown. Instead I offer another Australian species chosen for its species name.

Spotted Sun Orchid Thelymitra ixioides, Bundanoon, New South Wales southern highlands.
A very widespread and common orchid in south-eastern New South Wales.

J

A slightly contentious one, in that the establishment has largely returned all the genera which were split from Caladenia in an attempt to provide some nuance, back to the huge amorphous grab-bag of Caladenia. However some authorities, including the respected Atlas of Living Australia, still recognise this genus for instance, named for the eminent Australian orchidologist David Jones; good enough for me today!

Zebra Orchid Jonesiopsis (or Caladenia) cairnsiana, Stirling Ranges NP, southern Western Australia.
I really love this jaunty little orchid, which can be quite common in sandy heaths throughout the south-west.

L

Rattle Beaks Lyperanthus serratus, Wireless Hill, Perth. Apparently the flower rattles if you shake it,
but I've never felt the need to do so! A very distinctive orchid, which has a relative (but only one)
in the south-east of Australia too.

M

Alpine Onion Orchid Microtis sp. aff. unifolia, Brindabella Ranges, Namadgi NP, above Canberra.
As far as I can tell, this one is still undescribed. I've mentioned a couple of small-flowered orchids above,
but onion orchid flowers are tiny, just 2-3mm long, sitting on an expanded ovary.

N

Mayfly Orchid Nemacianthus caudatus Spring Mount CP, south of Adelaide.
A very distinctive colony-forming orchid, widespread and common, formerly included in Acianthus;for a change this split seems to have been widely accepted.
(Scan of an old slide - sorry.)

 

Neodryas rhodoneura, Acjanaco Pass, high Andes, Manu NP, southern Peru.
There appears to be some confusion surrounding this genus, which is also sometimes dumped in Onicidium,
seemingly (as far as I can make out) because no-one quite knows what to do with it.
Not our problem here - we just get to enjoy a lovely orchid starting with N!

 O

Horned Orchid Orthoceras strictum, Black Mountain NR Canberra.
This is a most distinctive orchid, quite widespread and said to be sometimes common, but that hasn't been
my experience. In the ACT it grows in just one small site.
(David Jones, in his monumental Complete Guide to the Orchids of Australia, suggests that there are
two or three other undescribed species in Australia and that the New Zealand and New Caledonian populations
also represent separate species. You'll read otherwise elsewhere, but my strong inclination is to believe
Jones until more evidence is available.)

Odontoglossum auroincarum, Wayquecha Research Station, high southern Peruvian Andes.
(This has also been called O. lasserum, but auroincarum seems to be correct here - it was only described,
from this area, in 2014.) There are about 100 Odontoglossum species, nearly all from the northern Andes.

 P

P begins with a double-P in fact, and it's a rare species as well.

Tarango Leek Orchid Prasophyllum petilum, northern Canberra.
A grassland species now regarded as Endangered, as are many native grassland-relying
species in south-eastern Australia.

Pleurothallus sp., above Machu Picchu, southern Peru.
I love the way these flowers seemingly grow from the leaf stalk.

R

R was surprisingly challenging. There aren't many Australian orchid R-genera; the best known is probably Rhizanthella, the truly remarkable underground orchids - three species which live entirely beneath the ground, the flowers covered by soil or litter. Needless to say I don't have photos of them. Let's settle for an R-species instead.

Large Gnat Orchid Cyrtostylis robusta, Alligator Gorge, southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
A fairly common species of sandy alkaline soils of the extensive limestone belt of southern Australia;
it is usually found in big colonies.

 S

S provided the opposite problem - too many delicious choices. In the end I could only get it down to two Australian S-orchids, plus one from overseas.

 

Myrtle Bells Sarcochilus hillii, Nowra, south coast New South Wales. This is a pretty little drooping
epiphyte, with flowers less than 10mm across, usually along streamlines in drier rainforest.
I love the glistening crystalline effect of the flowers.

Pink Spiral Orchid Spiranthes australis, Canberra. Another small-flowered orchid, this one of moist grassy areas,
with flowers tightly spiralling around the stem, a most unusual effect.

 

Sobralia dichotoma, Inca Track above Machu Picchu, southern Peruvian Andes.
A stunning big flower on a plant that can be three metres high! Hard to ignore.

  T

Swollen Sun Orchid Thelymitra megacalyptera, Weddin Mountains NP, south-western slopes New South Wales.
The 100+ species of sun orchids tend to open only on warm sunny days. This one is most prominent
in the drier forests of the western slopes.

Telipogon salinasiae Acjanaco Pass, high Andes of southern Peru.
Another big Neotropical orchid genus, many with unusually patterned flowers.
This one was described in 2003.

 U

Green-banded Greenhood Urochilus (Pterostylis) vittatus, Shannon NP, south-western Western Australia.
As mentioned previously, many do not accept the breakup of Pterostylis into more manageable chunks,
but Urochilus is still used, including by the Atlas of Living Australia.

 V

And finally - because after this we hit the tricky end of the alphabet, which I found intractable today - we end with a V, another based on a species name.

 

Common Hyacinth Orchid Dipodium variegatum, Nowra, southern New South Wales.
The hyacinth orchids are big leafless orchids which are semi-parasites, relying on a complex relationship
of its roots with both a host plant and a fungus.
This one, with a 60cm high stem, is by no means the tallest; it is found from Queensland to Victoria.

I do love orchids, and I'm really hoping that this spring is more productive than the last couple of dry years have been. Meantime, I hope this has encouraged you too to start looking forward to this year's orchid season.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 22 AUGUST
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Tarangire National Park; an underrated Tanzanian treasure #2 - birds

Today I want to complete my introduction to the wonderful but under-appreciated Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania which, as I explained in part 1, undeservedly seems to live in the shadow of nearby and better-advertised Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. If you missed the previous instalment you might like to take a peek there before reading this, as there's quite a bit of information about the park there. Today I want to focus on the birds of Tarangire, of which nearly 500 species have been recorded - but don't blanche, I shall just be offering a selection today!

Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus sitting out in the open and scanning the ground for unwary
small animals; surely one of the loveliest birds anywhere. They are widespread and quite common
across much of the south-eastern half of Africa.

This roller was just one of around 120 species that we saw in our relatively brief sojourn in the park (less than 48 hours) - and bear in mind that you can't get out of the vehicle. (See the first instalment of this blog to realise why!) Moreover, had we been there a few weeks earlier, large numbers of migrants from Europe and western Asia would also have still been present (though we'd also quite likely have got bogged and many of the fabulous mammals would have been on migration out of the park). 

One of the few places where you can walk around is the extensive picnic area at the entrance gate, and you will be greeted by a range of birds as soon as you alight.

Yellow-collared Lovebirds Agapornis personatus are often not easy to get close to,
but they hang around the gate most obligingly. They are only found in Tanzania.
(It was very wet and dully lit when we arrived, so some of these aren't as sharp as I'd like.)
Alone of the African parrots, the lovebirds are in the same family as the Australian parrots;
the rest have their closest relatives in South America.

Ashy Starling Lamprotornis unicolor is another Tanzanian endemic.
Africa is rich in starlings, but this is one of the least colourful.

Here's one of the more dramatic starlings, the appropriately named Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus.(Colloquially dubbed Superstars by some locals.)
They are widespread from Tanzania to the Horn of Africa, but I couldn't imagine getting blasé about them.

Red-necked Spurfowl (or Francolin) Pternistis afer is common in Tarangire, as is its close
relation the Yellow-necked Spurfowl Pternistis leucoscepus (below).

Both species are noisy, especially when displaying from a termite mound or shrub early
or late in the day. Spurfowls and francolins are in the pheasant, quail, chook etc family.

White-headed Buffalo-Weavers Dinemellia dinemelli are abundant and most attractive.
Their colonies of scruffy woven grass nests are everywhere.
('Buffalo' supposedly refers to a habit of foraging with African Buffaloes.)

Other birds can also be seen without the assistance of a vehicle at the various lodges; here are a few impressive 'house birds'. 

Bare-faced Go-away-bird Corythaixoides personatus.
The go-away-birds are a group of three (or four) grey and white turacos (normally a very colourful group);
they take their name from the southern Grey Go-away-bird, which complains 'go waaaay' in a loud, quavering whine.

Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni, a large East African hornbill; this is the male - the female has a black bill.
Like other hornbills he seals the female in a nesting hollow with hardened mud and droppings, and feeds
her through a narrow opening. Its name honours German explorer Karl Klaus von der Decken who twice tried
to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (hitherto unscaled by Europeans) but was defeated by the weather.

Lesser Striped Swallow Cecropis abyssinica; a familiar and handsome swallow
of much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is happy to share its home with humans.

African Scops Owls Otus senegalensis also have a very wide distribution.
And I could not find a vantage point without that stick across its face!

Which brings us to predatory birds and, unsurprisingly with such a richness of resources, there is a broad diversity of them. Let's start with another common owl, the little Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum.

Like the South American pygmy-owls to which it is very closely related,
this one has eye-spots on the back of its head to persuade bigger predators that it is watching!

And of course there are many diurnal hunters, from small to very large.

Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus, a tiny falcon which breeds in weaver nest chambers.
In this part of the world the hosts are usually White-headed Buffalo-weavers (see above).

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis, above and below. While most Siberian-breeding species
migrate south to south-eastern Asia, this one makes a much longer flight across India
to Africa. This female (streaky below, unlike the male) had stayed in Tarangire later
than most migrants.

A small falcon, most of her food is insects, especially termite and ant swarms in Africa.

The African Harrier-hawk Polyboroides typus is a most unusual bird of prey. It specialises in dragging adult
and nestling birds, reptiles, squirrels and invertebrates from holes and crevices with the aid of
immensely flexible 'knee' joints. It also eats a lot of fruit.
(Awful light for both this and the next picture, apologies.)

Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax; a large eagle found right across central Africa and on the Indian subcontinent.
It takes mammals as large as hares and small antelopes, guinea fowl, spurfowl, hornbills and reptiles, as
well as (fresh) carrion.

Immature Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus. This big powerful predator takes a range of medium-sized prey,
mammals, birds and reptiles (especially big monitor lizards).

Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius. A very strange and utterly beguiling bird, which is in the same
Order as hawks, eagles and vultures, but is the only member of its Family. It's big, to 1.5 metres tall, and
stalks the grasslands on long powerful legs. As the species name suggests it kills many snakes - kicking them to
death with strong heavy toes, or dropping them from high in the air - but also takes many grasshoppers and
vertebrates as diverse as mongooses, squirrels, tortoises and birds.

But there are other hunters of vertebrates apart from owls, falcons, hawks and eagles. It's not an easy gig being a small animal (or indeed a large one if you're down the food chain) in such a place.

Southern Ground Hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri are big birds (a metre high and weighing up to 6kg)
and I reckon seriously scary as they swagger in small gangs through the grass monstering insects, frogs,
snakes, tortoises, hares, squirrels and almost anything else unlucky enough to be caught.

Northern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus. The hornbills form a sister family to the two ground hornbills;
they are smaller so of course focus on smaller prey, but this one catches geckoes and nestlings as
well as wide array of invertebrates. This species is found across the arid lands immediately south of the Sahara.

Most kingfishers in Africa (as elsewhere) are dry country woodland hunters rather than primarily
fishers. The attractive Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala is found across most of Africa;
it too eats lizards, mice, frogs and nestlings in addition to many invertebrates.

And if you're one of those small animals that has escaped the attention of a kingfisher, chances are a shrike will get you instead.

Magpie Shrike Urolestes melanoleucus, along with other shrikes, are scattered in vantage points across the landscape.

Northern White-crowned Shrikes Eurocephalus ruppelli are even more prevalent, but being smaller
tend to limit their ambitions to invertebrates.

Even cuckoos can be fairly serious predators. These White-browed Coucals Centropus superciliosus are widespread
in Tarangire and far beyond across eastern and southern Africa, searching the understorey for lizards, snakes,
frogs, mice and small birds as well as a range of insects and spiders.

The big swamps, including Silale mentioned last time, plus the waterways, support a great diversity and numbers of wetland specialists. Here are just a few.

Knob-billed (or African Comb) Ducks Sarkidiornis melanotos; males above, females below.
The male's bill knob increases in size during breeding season.

The attractive White-faced Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna viduata are found not only widely in Africa,
but through most of South America as well.

The Hamerkop Scopus umbretta is the only member of its entire family, with its closest relatives seemingly being pelicans.
It is a familiar and common wader throughout most of Africa, feeding mostly on fish and frogs,
though it will take whatever it can catch.

Water Thick-knees Burhinus vermiculatus. The group of mostly nocturnal foragers, superbly camouflaged,
is also known as stone-curlews (in Australia, Europe and Asia).

Pied Kingfishers Ceryle rudis are abundant and familiar across Africa and southern Asia.
Indeed they are said to be one of the world's most abundant kingfishers.
This makes them no less attractive and pleasurable; one of the things I enjoy about  them is
their ability to hover above the water, something only a few other kingfishers do, and then briefly.

I realise I've gone on here rather more than I'd intended (as I do), so I'll wind up with just a few more selected species that I find especially attractive or interesting.

The beautiful quiet plumage of sandgrouse always attracts me, and they are a fascinating group of dry-country birds.
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus (female above, male below at rear) are restricted to north-eastern
Africa. Like other sandgrouse they maintain tight pair bonds while living at least part of their life in flocks,
and males carry water to chicks in hot ground nests in highly absorbent breast feathers.

 

Coursers and pratincoles form another interesting family; they are waders which have adapted to dry country living. They can be quite cryptic and hard to see as they rest during the day. Here are a couple from Tarangire.

Bronze-winged Coursers Rhinoptilus chalcopterus. Many, including this species, are active at night, and
remain stationary during the day. They typically crouch and usually face you when approached,
looking quite different from their elongated appearance in the guides.

Double-banded Courser Rhinoptilus africanus, looking more like how the field guides portray coursers!

Black-lored Babbler Turdoides sharpei. My Australian readers will immediately think of a different
group of birds but, while similar in their gregarious and rowdy behaviour, they are not closely related.

Spotted Palm Thrush Cichladusa guttata; a most attractive bird and a truly superb singer and mimic.

Meyer's Parrot Poicephalus meyeri is in life more deeply coloured than this light shows.
It is one of the 'African and New World' family of parrots, unlike the lovebird above.

And we'll wind up ('at last' I hear you sigh) with the smallest bird we've met today, but one I find full of character - and very attractive indeed. One day we'll give the lovely little waxbills (often referred to as finches, especially in Australia) an entire blog posting to themselves.

Male Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Uraeginthus bengalus, holding down a relatively enormous grass stalk
(the bird weighs no more than 10 grams) to harvest the seeds.

So, Tarangire National Park. Whatever your natural history interests, this one deserves your attention next time you're passing through Tanzania...

By the time my next post appears I'll again be in South America, so another slightly longer hiatus between posts. But I'll be back in time for (our) spring!

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 1 AUGUST - A CELEBRATION OF ORCHIDS!
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